BOUNTIFUL — South Davis Community Hospital (SDCH) will receive this year’s “Heart of Davis” award.

The award is given by the Davis County Commission as part of the annual Davis County Gala which will be held in October.

“For the individuals and their families who arrive at SDCH after a life-changing accident, an unexpected illness or when faced with a serious medical condition, this specialty hospital plays a crucial role in their critical care and recovery success,” the commissioners said.

The “dedicated SDCH team serves patients and their families who require ongoing and complex care and rehabilitation due to the life altering medical conditions, illness and accidents. SDCH is the only specialty care hospital of its kind in Utah, and an independent nonprofit organization,” the material said.

Expressing thanks for the honor, hospital Community Relations Director CJ Benson said the hospital “is crossing an exciting threshold with a capital fund raising endeavor called “Love, Wish, Build.”

She said the campaign will seek to raise funds required to begin construction of a new hospital to serve Utah and the Intermountain area. It will replace the existing 53 year-old facility.

“The project will be a labor of love,” she said. “The need is great, the timing is right, and the impact of the legacy will shape lives with a focus on quality for generations to come.”

The hospital is having “great success” with the fund raising campaign, with the first major donor pledge received a few weeks ago.

“We think the awareness generated by this award will bring an added momentum to our cause,” Benson said.

The Heart of Davis award came about a few years after the gala, now to celebrate 10 years, came about, said Annette Hansen of Davis County Community & Economic Development.

“This award is given annually to an individual or group that has made a significant impact to Davis County and is intended to celebrate those who are the heart of what makes Davis County so amazing,” she said.

Prior to the mid-1970s, SDCH served as the primary care hospital in the area. It was replaced in that duty by Lakeview Hospital’s opening.

Today’s SDCH opened in 1977 with a specialty care focus. The staff has grown from 25 employees to 600. It is also now considered a leader for their wide range of specialty services, said Jamie Sulser, director of the hospital’s foundation.

Those services include home health care and hospice, assisted living, specialized orthopedic rehabilitation, both long and short-term acute care, advanced respiratory services. In addition, it is considered Utah’s leading provider of specialized pediatric care.

“When it is your parent, your brother, your child, or your grandchild that experiences severe trauma, serious illness, or chronic and complex medical conditions...not only are their lives and the lives of your family significantly and permanently altered, but these specialty services move from sounding like great options to something intimately and immensely more vital,” Sulser said.